The Great Baltic Escape
by Kitty Faerie
Summary: When Latvia is seriously injured by Russia, the Baltics know they must make an escape. But where to run to? Well, how about America? He's a pretty cool dude after all! And so they run; to find peace and eventually their freedom! The escape begins!
1. Hot Chocolate and Onion Soup

_Well, here's the newest story from me~! This one is Baltic-centered. Yay for brotherly Baltics. Despite the title, it is not a Song Fic. I have just been listening to "The Great Escape" while writing this. I think it fits, no?  
So, the plot...  
The three Baltics have never liked being under Russia's rule. But it isn't until one of them is dangerously hurt before they finally decide to run away. They run to America hoping to find peace and freedom_

_In a nutshell? Me trying to cover for abusing poor Latvia. _  
_T for child abuse, blood, and swearing. I don't think the rating will need to go up, but if you have any concerns please tell me!_  
_Anything else? Oh, pairings. Slight Estonia/Lithuania, Sealand/Latvia, and US/UK. SLIGHT, though, as romance is not the central theme here x3 We also have Brotherly!America especially towards Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania_

_Aaaand that's about it. So enjoy~!

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__Fear. Fear strikes the hearts of many children world wide. Many times it is just a fear of the "monsters" in their closets. Other times it is a fear of the dark. Sometimes it is a social anxiety. But every now and then, these children are afraid of people-namely their care takers._

_Many children are abused all around the world. Sometimes, these children are never discovered and are forced to live their childhood in fear. Other times, they are discovered and are able to escape their dreadful environment. Still, the memories will remain and they will usually never forget the things they went through._

_Now, what about the children who don't have parents and are not in school? What about the countries; the small ones. The young ones overpowered by the older, stronger ones? When they are abused who is there to help them? A child is still a child. But a country is also a country.

* * *

_

"Latvia! Latvia hurry up! We have to get dinner started!" Pots and pans banged and doors slammed. Two of the three Baltic countries were in the kitchen of Russia's house trying to prepare dinner for the large and terrifying nation. Latvia was not there, but was supposed to be helping in some way.

The small nation burst into the room running as fast as he could. Violet eyes darted around, looking from Lithuania to Estonia. "S... Sorry," he stammered, "I was... Going to the restroom."

"Well hurry up," Estonia said simply, "You need to cut the onions so I can throw them in this pot to cook." Latvia nodded and darted to the cutting board. He quickly got to work chopping up the onions.

"Chicken and onion soup?" Estonia sighed, "What will go through that man's mind next?" He stirred the pot, waiting for Latvia to finish chopping the onions.

"Hush, Estonia," Lithuania said kindly, "It's what he wants; it's what he gets. Who are we to judge?" The oldest of the three gave a slight smile. "Besides, it's not that hard to make. At least, as not has hard as it sometimes is. Right, Latvia?"

"R... Right," Latvia stammered keeping his eyes focused on the task at hand. Lithuania shoot a worried look at the younger nation. Usually, the short nation was a little talkative when he was in the kitchen. He would chatter on about Sealand or poetry or some silly thing he had heard from another nation. Today he still seemed nervous, although the three nations had a very good relationship with each other.

"Feeling alright, Latvia?" Estonia asked noticing the change in the younger nation's demeanor. Latvia simply nodded, still not looking away from the onions. Estonia and Lithuania exchanged glances but said no more. Latvia finished quickly and scooped the onions up. He brought them over to Latvia and popped them in them in the pot. The young nation did not so much as make eye contact as he went back to clean up the area he had just used.

"You're not catching a cold, are you Latvia?" Lithuania asked pulling the now finished chicken out of the oven. He set the bird on top of the stove to cool and turned around to face Latvia. The boy's face was a little flushed, but no more than it usually was. His eyes seemed dazed, though, and he was obviously zoning out.

"I... I'm fine," Latvia told him, still looking down at the counter. Lithuania didn't buy it. He walked over to the boy. Brushing away the curly golden bangs, he placed a firm hand on his forehead. It felt normal and Lithuania was just about to pull his hand away when something caught his eye. He bent down and parted the hair a little more. There was a small purple bruise on the side of his forehead, close to his right ear.

"Did you bang your head?" Lithuania asked brushing over the area with his thumb. The boy winced at the touch, but did not make eye contact.

Latvia was about to shake his head, when he changed his mind and nodded. "Y... Yeah," he said, "I... Uh... walked into... A wall."

Lithuania sighed, believing what Latvia had told him. "You need to be more careful," he said with a kind smile, "Now go bring out the chicken to Mr. Russia." The older nation stood up and walked over to the stove. Latvia let out a small audible gasp and looked up at Lithuania.

"A... Are you sure?" He stammered frantically, "I... I mean... I'm... Clumsy, and stuff. May... Maybe you or Estonia should b... Bring it out!" Lithuania raised an eyebrow.

"You're strong enough," he said. He then paused and looked at the boy. "Are you sure you're Ok?"

Latvia gulped, but nodded. Estonia came over with a bowl of soup. Lithuania handed the bird to Latvia giving him a serious look as he pushed open the door to the dining room.

The two nations stepped in. Russia was seated at the head of the table looking over paperwork with a smirk on his face. As the two got closer, they could see that the large country's mouth was turned up in a wry smile, but his eyes were cold and dangerous. Something was obviously bothering him.

"H... Here you are, Mr. Russia," Estonia stammered to the man. He looked up from his paperwork, his facial expression unchanging.

"Ah, thank you Estonia," he said in his creepy cheerful voice, "It is good, da?" Estonia simply nodded and placed the soup on the table. Latvia followed by placing the chicken next to the soup. He did not make eye contact as long as possible, but realized the consequences if he did not lift his eyes to meet Russia's.

The large nation's eyes flickered with amusement. But there was something more in his eyes. Possibly hate; maybe even a warning. Latvia quickly lowered his eyes. Estonia nodded to Russia and turned to leave. Latvia was right on top of him as he couldn't wait to get away from Russia.

Lithuania had started and nearly finished washing the dishes. The kitchen was almost clean, save a few small items. When the dishes were done, he brought three cups of hot chocolate over to the shabby, wooden kitchen table-something he did almost every night. Once dinner was on the table, the countries were off for the night. They could do as they pleased until morning.

Estonia and Latvia sat down at the table with Lithuania. "You'll never guess what Russia said to me today," Estonia began, "He said that I was 'no longer needed' in his study in the afternoons! I've brought him tea everyday for months and he decides now that he doesn't want it from me anymore? Crazy!"

Lithuania thought for a moment. "Maybe he got sick of tea," he suggested and took a sip of his hot drink.

"No, it's not just that," Estonia waved his hand, "He said he doesn't want _me _bringing him the tea anymore. He wants Latvia to do it now!"

This took both Lithuania and Latvia by surprise. The poor young boy began choking on his hot chocolate. When he calmed down he turned to Estonia.

"M... Me?" he asked, "But why? Why me?" His eyes held a panicked look as he begged for more information.

Estonia just shrugged. "I dunno," he said, "But I guess it just goes to show how lucky I am!"

There was nothing more to say after that. The three finished their drinks and then headed up to bed. Although the house was large, they all shared one queen sized bed in a small room at the end of the upstairs hallway.

Estonia and Lithuania lay on the ends, Latvia slept in the middle. The other two nations feel asleep rather quickly, but Lithuania could not help but be a little worried. Latvia was not acting like himself. He was not sick, so what could it be? Could it be that his fear of Russia had deepened over the past few days?

The oldest Baltic nation decided to not worry himself too much over it. Latvia was still young and just finding his place in the world. It was probably just a phase that would pass as quickly as it had come on.

* * *

The days went by and there seemed to be no change in Latvia. He still avoided making eye contact, even with his friends. On Sunday, their day off, he went to go see Sealand. Lithuania hoped that would cheer the boy up, but it didn't seem to do much. It wasn't until Tuesday night that Lithuania began to really worry about Latvia's well-being.

It was a normal night and everyone was asleep. Lithuania, though, was rudely awakened by a yelp coming from his right side. He turned and saw Latvia shaking in his sleep. The small boy was curled in a ball crying and shivering. Lithuania wrapped his arms around the sleeping nation and held him close. He did not wake up, but stopped shivering after a few moments although the tears still streamed down his face.

This was when Lithuania became worried. Sure, the boy had nightmares when he was younger; it was only normal at the time. Besides, being taken as a servant for Russia certainly did count as traumatizing. But that was a few years ago. Now that he was older, the nightmares were supposed to have stopped. Something must have happened to frighten or worry him. And Lithuania was going to find out what it was.

Another week passed and there was still no change in the small Latvia. If anything, the boy had gotten worse and did not talk unless directly spoken to. Even then, he would not make eye contact and would answer in as few words as possible. Lithuania had yet to find the cause of the problems. Little did he know that he would find out soon enough.

It was a normal day, just like any other. Lithuania was doing the laundry and Estonia was dusting the old furniture in the living room. Latvia had been sent to Russia's study with tea, but had not been back for a while. Neither of the two older countries thought much of the delay until there was a loud crash and the slam of a door.

Lithuania, worried, dropped the clothes he was folding and ran to Russia's study. The door was teetering off the hinges from being slammed so hard. He stopped in his tracks, utterly shocked by sight. Then he turned his head and saw Latvia crumpled on the floor.

Lithuania ran over and crouched down next to the small nation. Blood was coming from his forehead and his eyes were closed. He smelled faintly of tea, probably because there was some dumped in his hair. The boy's breathing was shaky and, although he was unconscious, tears flowed out of his closed eyes. Lithuania picked him up and rushed him to the kitchen. He set him down on a chair and turned on the sink, placing a cloth under the stream that flowed from the pipe.

Estonia came into the room looking worried himself. When he saw the boy a gasp escaped his lips. "Latvia!" He shouted rushing over.

Lithuania took the cloth and placed it on Latvia's forehead. He dabbed away the blood that was flowing from a cut on the right of his head. It wasn't very deep and the bleeding stopped quickly.

"Latvia," Lithuania whispered, "Latvia wake up. Come on. It's me, Liet. Everything's Ok." Estonia was next to the older nation gently shaking Latvia's shoulder, trying to rouse the young boy.

After a few moments, Latvia opened his eyes revealing sad violet orbs. He blinked with surprise at seeing the two other nations so close to him. Both Estonia and Lithuania sighed with relief.

"What happened?" Latvia asked looking from Estonia to Lithuania.

"You tell us," Estonia replied with a frown.

"What did Russia do?" Lithuania asked. His voice was hard and stern. Latvia realized with a gulp that he was going to tell the whole truth. "Look at me, Latvia," he said. The young boy's eyes met Lithuania's concerned but stern face.

"He... He got a phone call," Latvia said shaking slightly, "I... I dunno who it was from, but he got real mad... And I... Was the o...Only one there. So he... Got mad at me..." Tears pricked at Latvia's eyes. "My arm hurts," he said innocently lifting his right arm. There was a wound on the arm, not too deep, but bleeding all the same.

Lithuania's eyes widened, but he took the cloth and dabbed up the blood. He set the cloth on the table and looked at Latvia intently. The boy squirmed under the harsh gaze.

"Can you still work?" Estonia asked breaking the silence. He hadn't meant to say it as harshly as it came out, but it was getting closer and closer to dinner time.

"Y... Yeah," Latvia said looking at Estonia, "I feel fine. Just a little sore 's all." He looked back at Lithuania who was giving him a questioning look. "I swear!" he cried.

"Fine, then," Lithuania sighed, "Just be careful. And go to bed early tonight." Latvia nodded eagerly and jumped up to help Estonia begin dinner. Lithuania went back to finish the clothes. Try as he might, he could not shake the bad feeling off of himself.

* * *

_I really hope you enjoyed and will continue reading. Let me point out that Lithuania is the oldest of the Baltics, in case you didn't already know that.  
Anyway, I hope I was able to capture your attention x3 Please review if you have the time. I'd really like to know what you think and what I can improve on. As always, I love constructive criticism, but I will not tolerate flames. But then again, who does? _

_Thanks for reading! _


	2. Bruised and Battered

_Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews~! I have very high hopes for this story, I must say x3 I hope it gets some more views. I'm actually almost done typing it. It will have about ten chapters, but they are rather long-ish x3  
Well, here's where the Latvia abuse begins. Sorry, Latvi D: Anyway, enjoy~!

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_  
The rest of the day was uneventful. Latvia was sent to bed without hot chocolate that night to rest as Lithuania was still a little worried, so it was just Lithuania and Estonia at the lonely kitchen table. They sat in silence for a little while stirring and sipping their drinks, looking around the kitchen but never at each other.

"I'm... Worried," Lithuania said simply. His voice came out in a whisper and had there been other noise in the room, Estonia would never have heard him. The younger of the two turned and raised an eyebrow, but felt generally the same.

"The world is a scary place," he said simply returning to his hot chocolate. After taking a sip, he sighed. "It's just one of Russia's phases. It will pass. Remember when he had those creepy paintings up in the dining room? They only lasted about a month or two."

"But those were paintings!" Lithuania cried, "This is Latvia we're talking about. I don't know how much more he can take. And I know this has been going on for a while now. If we don't end it now, who knows what could happen!"

Estonia looked at Lithuania pleadingly. He wanted to tell his friend that, yes, everything would be alright. He wanted to much to march up to Russia and throw in his stupid smiling face all the crap he had put them through. But Estonia was a smart man and knew that rebellion of that sort would end badly. "Leit," he said using Lithuania's nickname, something he rarely did, "If we could end it you know it would be ended already. But we can't; Russia's just too strong."

Lithuania paused. "What if we ran away?" he asked daringly.

"Stop talking like that," Estonia frowned, "Don't be silly. And don't be stupid."

The two let those words echo in the air. Lithuania sighed, finished up the last of his hot chocolate, and went to clean up. Estonia followed him, but said nothing. The two then went upstairs to their bedroom where the found little Latvia fast asleep in the middle of the bed. Wordlessly, they changed and climbed into bed. Estonia fell asleep almost instantly, but Lithuania spent yet another night lying awake.

Estonia had made it clear that running away would do no good. Then again, how would they know? They had never tried. Maybe it would end badly. But maybe, just maybe, they could find themselves free. Then Estonia would only have to dust his own furniture, Lithuania would only have to fold his own clothes, and poor Latvia would never be hurt like that again.

It was wishful thinking and Lithuania knew that. Still, when you're in a desperate situation a little bit of hope can go a long way.

Lithuania had just turned to go back to sleep when the bed suddenly began shaking. Knowing what, or who, it was before looking he rolled back over and draped his arms around the shaking Latvia. It was only normal to have nightmares after what he had been through that day. Who knows what goes on in Russia's study when no one is looking.

* * *

The next day began the same as any other normal day. Breakfast was made and served, the dishes were done, and then the countries went about their chores. After a full day, the three countries only got about five minutes of break time. This was usually taken for a quick lunch around noon. But Lithuania rushed through all his work to save his five minutes for when Latvia brought tea to Mr. Russia.

That time finally came when a shaking Latvia brought tea on a silver plate to the study sometime around one in the afternoon. The boy timidly knocked on the door and let himself in, being careful not to take the still unrepaired door off the wall. When the door shut as much as it was able to in its current state, Lithuania placed himself up to the wall and pressed his ear against it.

For the first few moments, all that could be heard was simple talking. Latvia greeted Russia and had probably stood waiting to be dismissed. Russia was talking, but he was not talking to Latvia. No, it sounded more like he was talking on the phone although Lithuania could not make out the exact words. He could, however, hear Russia's tone of voice. At first it was his normal pretending to be happy voice. Then, it got dangerously low, showing that he was angry.

Then all hell broke loose. Russia began shouting bitterly at the phone. Lithuania held back a yelp as he heard things crashing all around the office. He could practically see the the purple vase being knocked over or the fancy pictures being torn off the wall. Worse, he could see in his head a cowering Latvia.

The boy was yelling, terrified. He was saying "Please, Mr. Russia, calm down!" and "Mr. Russia please stop!" But the angry nation either did not hear him or chose to ignore him.

Then there was a smack. The sound echoed off the walls of the room and found its way into the hallway where Lithuania was. It wasn't flesh upon metal or wood. No, this was a very distinct sound. It was flesh upon flesh. Namely, a hand upon an innocent face.

As if the sound wasn't enough, Latvia's panicked cries told anyone who happened to be listening that he was both scared and in pain. Lithuania jumped up but did not know where to go from there. If he barged into the study, there was no telling what Mr. Russia would do. But he had to help Latvia.

Tears appeared in Lithuania's eyes as his mind raced. Finally, he decided to run to Estonia for help. He rushed himself to the kitchen where Estonia was cleaning the stove. The younger nation looked up as Lithuania crashed into the room. The older country's eyes were wild with hatred and fear.

"What-" Estonia began only to be cut off by a crazed Lithuania.

"Mr. Russia!" Lithuania shouted, "He's hurting Latvia. I can hear it! It's horrible. Something happened, but I don't know what. What should we do?" Poor Lithuania was now crying, he was so scared. Estonia stood dumbfounded at the elder nation.

"I... I'll get the band aids and compresses," Estonia said slowly, unsure of what to do himself, "You just go get Latvia when he comes out of the room. But _don't_ go in there."

"But what-"

"Don't go in there, Lithuania," Estonia reiterated, "You don't want to get hurt yourself, do you?" Lithuania shook his head, defeated. He then rushed back to the study. Everything was strangely silent, a huge difference from the chaos that had just been there not five minutes ago.

Latvia braced himself up against the same wall Lithuania had just sat against. He was panting heavily and walking slowly down the hall. Lithuania rushed over and helped him stand a little straighter. Latvia looked at him, surprised, but said nothing as the two made their way into the kitchen.

As promised, Estonia had everything ready. Lithuania sat Latvia on the same chair as the day before. He took one of the towels and began wiping away the blood. This time, though, the blood came quicker and did not stop as easy.

"It... Hurts," Latvia said weakly. He then began to cough violently. Lithuania stopped and rubbed his back in circles until the boy calmed down.

"Shh," Lithuania whispered, "I know it hurts."

"I feel dizzy."

"Stay with us, Latvia," Estonia said, "At least until we get you cleaned up."

Lithuania paused and looked at Latvia. His forehead was bruised and bleeding in some places. "Do you hear a ringing in your ears? Or have a headache?" he asked praying the answers were no.

But Latvia nodded. "My head hurts real bad. And the ringing won't go away," he replied in a voice just above a whisper.

"Shit, Estonia," Lithuania cursed, "I think he has a concussion!" He looked up at Estonia for help who returned the gaze.

"If he has a concussion, he'll need rest," Estonia told them, "Lot's of rest. There's no way Mr. Russia will allow that, especially if he was the one who caused the concussion." Estonia looked at Latvia who's eyes were slowly dropping. "You'll just have to work through it."

"Estonia!" Lithuania shouted at him, "You know as well as I do that he can't work with a concussion! That's dangerous!"

"Well, he's going to have to," Estonia retorted, "What else? We barely have enough time to do our own chores. There's no way we could fit in his as well while he recovers."

Lithuania stared at him with a hateful glare. He didn't hate Estonia-he never did-but he hated the way he was talking at that moment. Lithuania knew there was only one thing to do. And that was run away.

He said nothing, though, as he finished cleaning up Latvia and applying band aids to the wounds. He then lifted the small boy in his arms and brought him upstairs. He gently placed him on the bed and tucked him in. Latvia had already fallen asleep by the time they had reached the room.

"We're getting out of here, Latvia," Lithuania said knowing the boy wouldn't respond, "I don't care if it's stupid, or if it's suicide, or anything! I just can't take this any longer! And I know that you can't either."

Lithuania shut the blinds on the single window in the small room. He then turned out the light and closed the door. Walking downstairs to go prepare dinner, he knew what had to be done. Estonia was not going to like it, though, but he didn't care. He had to do what was right. He had to get them out of Mr. Russia's house.

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_Thanks to this story, I know all there is to know about concussions :D Whoo~!_

_Anyway, please review if you have the chance. Reviews make me very happy x3 _


	3. Count Down

_Here we are at another chapter! I actually really like this fic which is weird. I usually don't like what I write. Like my USUK fic, Snowed In. It's not bad, but some chapters I just cringe at! But I really, really like this one x3_

Anyway, in this chapter the three make their getaway. Whoo~!

* * *

When supper was over, Lithuania and Estonia hurried up to their small bedroom. Latvia was still asleep, but he seemed to be sleeping alright. Thankfully, his breathing was even and he did not stir when they turned on the light. Lithuania quickly sat himself on the bed next to the sleeping Latvia. Estonia stuck himself to the wall studding the two.

Lithuania looked up at Estonia, fear and worry in his eyes. "We have to get out of here," he said quietly, just above a whisper. Estonia thought for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding.

"I... Agree," the other said timidly. Lithuania was silently shocked that he agreed so quickly. He thought it was going to be hard to get the younger nation on his side. "Where do we go, though?" Estonia asked.

Lithuania looked down at the sheets and thought. They could go to Poland, but that was the first place Russia would look for them. They could also go to Sealand, but the boy's nation was far too small. Lithuania eyes widened and he shot up to look at Estonia.

"America," he simply stated, but all his heart and soul went into that one word.

"America?" Estonia questioned, "Why America?"

"Because Mr. America is such a kind person," Lithuania said excitedly, "He would no doubt help us. Plus he's strong so if Russia tries to do anything, he could help! That's it Estonia! Mr. America can help us!"

Estonia blinked and tried to think of a fault in the plan. Sure, there were a few, but when given the choice between America and Russia, America was definitely the best choice. "When will you be leaving?" he asked.

Lithuania opened his mouth to answer, but realized what Estonia had just said. He paused for a moment and stared at Estonia. "You're going too... Aren't you?" he asked. Estonia shook his head.

"It's going to be hard enough to travel with Latvia," Estonia explained, "Besides, if I stay, Russia probably won't be as angry."

"You're scared?"

Estonia blinked at the sudden question. His cheeks went red and he looked down at the ground. "I'm... Not _scared_ per say... Just..."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah..."

"Don't be." Lithuania smiled. "We'll have each other. Everything will be alright. Besides, you can't just stay. We've been through so much together already. We're going to get ourselves through this... Together." Lithuania then got up and tossed Estonia a bag. He picked up his own and began placing his clothes and personal items in it. Estonia paused, but followed suit. He also packed a bag for Latvia.

They made a plan to leave at midnight that night, right after Russia went to bed. They knew that Russia would stay up and drink a little before finally going to bed at around eleven. This was unlikely to change on a random night such as this.

* * *

… _Ding Ding Ding._

"That's twelve," Lithuania whispered to Estonia. He nudged him to be sure he had not fallen asleep. If he had, he did not show it. His eyes were awake and alert. Estonia looked ready for almost anything.

"Are we ready?" he whispered back. Lithuania nodded. He looked over at Latvia who was still sleeping peacefully, unknowing of what was going on around him.

"Should we wake him?" Lithuania asked without looking at Estonia.

"I don't know" Estonia responded, "But he'll probably fall right back asleep. I wouldn't expect him to be able to move around easy, though. We're going to have to carry him."

"Then I'll let him wake up on his own." Estonia nodded in agreement as Lithuania picked up the boy. Lithuania wrapped him in a soft blanket-one of the only ones they had. He did not stir as he was taken out of the room.

"What about traps or alarms?" Lithuania asked Estonia as the scurried down the stairs.

"Nothing really," Estonia replied, "There's an alarm on the door and the front gate, but that's about it." He paused and glanced over at the doubting look on Lithuania's face. "I checked," Estonia told him, "There's almost nothing except for those two security alarms. And I know the code. He really never planned for us to escape. Probably never thought we were strong or bold enough to do so."

"Well he was wrong," Lithuania replied bitterly. They reached the end of the stairs. Estonia typed in the code on the alarm as they exited the warmth of the house and threw themselves into the cold of the Russian night. They walked to the gate where Estonia entered yet another code. The gate clicked open and they were free.

They walked through the bitter night as cars passed them by. It was decided that they would walk to the nearest airport and catch a plane to America. Estonia was a little worried about Latvia flying on a plane with a concussion, but Lithuania told him that it couldn't be helped. They did not have the time to wait for Latvia to recover. Besides, Lithuania reasoned, if he's asleep for most of the flight what harm can it really do?

They finally reached the airport after a three hour walk. Rushing inside, they were greeted by warm comforting air. Lithuania sat down on a bench with Latvia and handed Estonia the money. There was over three thousand dollars that the older nation had been saving for the longest time. He would find coins and money around and sometimes do odd jobs for people around the neighborhood. He figured he could use the money to escape Russia's house, but never had the guts to go through with it. Little did he know, the money would actually come in handy.

Lithuania watched Estonia wait through the line. He had to admit it; he was scared. He was afraid that at any moment, Russia would come barging through the door and drag them all back to his house. Lithuania knew that he would not feel completely safe until they were are Mr. America's house. And even then, the uneasy feeling would probably continue.

"Lithuania?" a small voice mumbled. Lithuania jumped, surprised and looked down at the boy in his arms. Violet eyes stared back at him, questioning and confused.

"Hey, Latvia," Lithuania greeted trying to put on his best smile, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel dizzy," Latvia told him, "Where are we?" He tried to sit up but found that he didn't have the strength to. So he flopped back and looked up at Lithuania with a tint of fear now in his eyes.

"We're at the airport," Lithuania admitted, "We're going to go see Mr. America."

Latvia gasped. "But what about Mr. Russia?" he asked, "Does he know? Is he gonna get mad?" Tears dotted the young boy's eyes and threatened to spill onto the blanket.

"No, Russia does not know," Lithuania sighed, "But that's Ok. Everything's going to be alright now. Mr. America is going to help us out, so we don't need to worry about Russia any more." Latvia's eyes widened with a glimmer of hope.

"Really?" the boy asked, "Are we going to get out of Russia?" Lithuania nodded.

"I have the tickets," Estonia declared as he came over. "The plane leaves in an hour. We better go through security and get to the gate." His eyes then glanced over at Latvia who was looking up at him. A small smile broke across the older nation's face. "How are you doing?" he asked the boy.

"I feel a little better," he said, "But I still feel dizzy."

"Is there still ringing in your ears?" Estonia asked.

Latvia paused to listen. "Nope," he shook his head, "It's all gone." The other two nations smiled with relief. It was going to be a long road from here on out, but the two were happy that Latvia was getting better.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Estonia asked the boy holding up two pale white fingers.

Latvia paused for a moment. "Two?" he asked.

Estonia nodded. "And do you know what your name is? And mine and the person holding you?" he asked.

"I'm Latvia, or Ravis, you're Estonia or Eduard, and Liet is Lithuania or Toris," the boy told him. "Why are you asking me all these silly questions?"

"It's to make sure the bump on your head isn't too bad," Lithuania responded. "And you did great. You should be feeling better in no time." He shot a smile to the boy whose face brightened. Though, both of the older Baltics knew that there was no telling how long it would be before Latvia was better.

"Alright. Well, we should get going," Estonia said softly, "We don't want to miss our flight." Lithuania nodded and stood up. Latvia stayed in his arms, still not feeling well enough to stand on his own. They made their way to the security check where they had their bags checked. No one questioned the child in Lithuania's arms. They all might have just assumed that because it was night, the child was tired and wanted to sleep. That is probably why they guided Lithuania away from the body scanner and instead gave him a pat-down.

Estonia and Lithuania met up and continued down to gate B-12 where their flight would leave in about a half hour. Lithuania sat down on one of the chairs and looked at Latvia. He had fallen back asleep, as was expected in his condition.

"Want me to go grab something to eat?" Estonia asked, "We should probably eat something now. The plane won't have anything good to eat at this time of night." Lithuania nodded and Estonia went off in the direction of a coffee shop he had seen. The blond came back just a few minutes later with a bag of doughnuts, two cups of coffee, and a chocolate milk for Latvia when he woke up. They didn't have time to eat, though, as the plane began boarding.

Lithuania took the window seat and placed Latvia in the middle one. He buckled the sleeping boy in and set his head to rest on his shoulder. Estonia took the aisle seat. He turned and smiled at Lithuania who wearily smiled back.

"Tired?" Estonia asked. Lithuania nodded as he settled back into the blue plush chair and closed his eyes. There was a beep and a woman's voice recited something in Russian. Then a man took the microphone and began speaking in English.

"Welcome aboard flight 233 from Moscow, Russia to New York City, America. Please fasten your seat belts and remain in your seats at least until we reach a safe altitude. If you wish to sleep, blankets and pillows will be provided. This is a non stop flight. Please enjoy your flight." There was a click and the plane began to shift. There was a rumbled as the pilot steered the plane towards the West.

"We're almost in the air," Lithuania mumbled to no one in particular.

Estonia smiled. He couldn't help it. He began smiling like a young child. The blonde was excited. They would be free. The plane took a turn and began building up power. Then, like a rocket it shot.

"Five," Lithuania smiled at Estonia.

"Four."

"Three." The plane began to shake and rumbled. It was almost ready to jump into the air.

"Two."

"One!" The plane lifted into the air and made a beeline for the clouds. Even though it was dark, Lithuania could see the fluffy clouds with a little help from Moscow's always lit up city. His ears popped, but he didn't care. Excitement built up inside of him, like a small child who was taking his first trip to Disney Land. They would be free.

* * *

_I must say, I've learned a lot from writing this. Russian airports are scary, first off. They have about five levels of security. Mad about the US and their airports? Try going to Russia!  
And it also is NOT very safe to fly with a concussion. So, don't ever try it! But I'm being a jerk and making Latvia fly anyway. Don't worry; I will tell you that he will be fine. Uh... Call it... Creative liberty. Or the fact that this is Fan Fiction and I can do whatever the hell I want x3_

_Anyway, if you have the chance, drop me a review! I'm almost finished writing this so I'm going to continue updating, but reviews are always helpful and nice. So, please don't be afraid to write in. Thank you!_


	4. Doughnuts and Chocolate Milk

_Thank you so much for your reviews~! They're so kind! I love reading them x3  
Now, on with the next chapter. Not much to say about this one except that we finally meet America (for like two seconds, but who's counting x3).  
So read, enjoy, and review if you get the chance :D

* * *

_The plane settled a few minutes later. Soon, the seat belt sign was shut off. Very few people actually decided to move around, though. Estonia had flagged down one of the four flight attendants who were shuffling around the cabin for a few blankets and pillows. Before long, Lithuania and Latvia were fast asleep wrapped up in the shabby blue blankets as they rested on the hard pillows. Estonia smiled at the sight. He would have gone to sleep himself, but he wanted at least one of them to be awake. Besides, Latvia was going to be asleep for a little while and Lithuania had been through so much in the past few days.

Placing headphones in his ears, he turned on the television that was on the back of the seat in front of him. There was nothing interesting on; just some Russian late night show. He didn't want to, but he soon fell asleep himself. It was a peaceful, dreamless sleep. But it was also one of the best sleeps of his life.

** OoOoO**

Estonia awoke with a jolt about four hours later. He cursed himself for falling asleep after he had told himself not to. Looking over, he saw Latvia and Lithuania still asleep. He pulled out the long forgotten back of doughnuts and began nibbling on one although the ability to taste had escaped him at that moment.

"Hey, Estonia," Lithuania mumbled coming out of his own dreamless sleep, "How long have we been in the air?"

The sudden talking made Estonia jump a bit as he looked over and into deep green eyes that were glazed with sleepiness. He blushed, not wanting Lithuania to know he had fallen asleep and tried calculating an appropriate number.

"Oh, it's been four and a half hours," Lithuania said. He turned to Estonia and pointed at the television screen in front of him. A small plane was displayed on the television with a few letters and numbers next to it. "That channel charts our progress," Lithuania said in awe, "That's pretty cool."

Estonia blinked and then nodded. He wordlessly handed the bag of doughnuts to Lithuania who in turn took one. The blonde sighed and turned to Latvia who was still fast asleep in the chair. "How's he doing?" Estonia asked aimlessly simply for the sake of conversation.

Lithuania followed his gaze and looked down at the boy. "I think he's doing alright, but I've been asleep," he responded looking back up at Estonia, "Should we wake him and have him eat something?"

Estonia nodded. "We should probably ask him questions. Like who he is and if he knows what we're doing and such. Just to be extra safe. It's been a few hours so I think it would be appropriate."

Lithuania nodded and began softly nudging the boy, trying to get him to wake up. "Hey, Latvia," he whispered kindly, "Time to wake up. Latvia." After about a minute the boy's violet eyes fluttered open and looked up at Lithuania. The older boy smiled and ran his fingers through the younger's hair.

"Hey," Estonia said gently touching him on the shoulder, "Do you remember who you are?" It sounded like a silly question to anyone listening in on the conversation, but in reality it was an important one to make sure the boy was recovering from his concussion.

"I'm Latvia," the boy responded in a quiet, sleepy voice.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Estonia asked holding up three fingers.

"Three."

"Very good," Lithuania smiled, "Now, how are you feeling? Are you still dizzy?"

Latvia turned to face Lithuania and nodded. "I still feel a little dizzy," he responded. He then took the opportunity to take a look at his surroundings. "Where are we?" he asked, "Are we on the plane already?"

Lithuania nodded. "We're about halfway there," he said, "We're going to America's house, remember?" Latvia nodded. "Are you hungry, Latvia?" Lithuania asked, "We have some doughnuts and chocolate milk."

Latvia nodded enthusiastically. "I'm starving!" he said with a boyish cute smile that made both Estonia and Lithuania giggle. Lithuania handed the bag over to Latvia who eagerly took and and began munching on a doughnut. Lithuania and Estonia watched with amusement as the young boy devoured the doughnut. Lithuania then handed him the chocolate milk which he in turn gulped down.

When he was finished, Lithuania placed the crumpled napkin and empty milk bottle in the bag to be thrown out.

"What's Mr. America's house like, Liet?" Latvia asked looking up at Lithuania with wide eyes. Estonia also looked over at Lithuania wondering the same thing. Sure, they all knew America as the loud mouthed self-proclaimed "hero" from the few World Meetings they were permitted to attend, but none except Lithuania really knew who he was.

Lithuania paused and thought for a moment. Who was America? "Well," he began, "He's... Really nice. He might seem like he's out for himself and only himself, but he's really nice. He lets his servants take breaks and feeds them real food. Well, he really likes hamburgers so he has his servants make a lot of them, but if you don't like it it's Ok. He won't mind." The older nation paused trying to remember his experience with America. "He's also a people person, although he's not good at reading the atmosphere. But he does listen to your feelings and treats you more like a person-a friend-than a servant."

"Wow!" Latvia exclaimed, "He sounds awesome!"

"He sounds... Nice," Estonia concurred.

"He is," Lithuania breathed.

It wasn't long before Latvia fell asleep again. Lithuania and Estonia stayed awake and chatted. They realized that they would be tired after such little sleep, but they knew that they could rest when they were safe.

"It's going to be five in the morning when we land. It'll probably be six when we reach Mr. America's house," Estonia commented, his eyebrows nit together, "Don't you think that's a little early?"

Lithuania nodded. "I know it's early," he said, "But Mr. America's really nice. Besides, he might be up. He loves to play video games and will sometimes stay up all night playing. Or he might have paperwork. Some people do stay up all night working on stuff. And he loves to procrastinate with his paperwork. If there's something due soon, he'll no doubt be awake."

"Still, maybe we should stay in a hotel..." Estonia trailed off looking at Lithuania intently.

"Well, we could, but what would be the point?"

"We could stay in the airport until a more appropriate time..."

"We could, but I really don't think Mr. America would mind," Lithuania pressed, "He's really nice! And when he learns of what happened, he'll definitely help us; no matter what time it is."

"... Alright," Estonia sighed, "But when we get thrown out into the street I'm blaming you." He smiled, letting Lithuania know he was joking.

"Alright," Lithuania laughed with him.

* * *

The rest of the flight went smoothly. Neither Estonia nor Lithuania slept much more. At most, they rested their eyes for a few minutes at a time. Latvia, though, slept peacefully through all the rest of the flight. Even during the rocky, bumpy landing, they boy stayed fast asleep.

"Thank you for flying _Russian Air_. We hope to do business with you again in the near future."

"Well, we won't," Lithuania whispered to Estonia who smiled a broad, hopeful smile.

"Welcome, passengers of flight 233 from Moscow to New York, to America."

The three had brought their bags with them on the plane, so they didn't need to wait for their bags to come in. They went straight for the doors to flag down a taxi to take them to America's house. The fresh New York morning air was chilly and cool. It was very dark outside, as it was five fifteen in the morning and it was raining a little bit.

Finally, a taxi came by and they piled in the warm car. Lithuania gave the driver America's address and the car started down the road and onto the highway. Normally, the road would have been piled with cars and it would have taken a very long time to get to America's house. But at five in the morning, there was hardly anyone on the roads.

Estonia checked his watch. "It's one in the afternoon in Russia," he said, "I wonder what-"

"Stop," Lithuania said sharply, "It doesn't matter what he's doing. All that matters is that we're here now. We need to stop thinking about him. We won't be free until we do." Estonia closed his mouth and nodded.

Just a little while later, the taxi pulled up to a large country mansion. One thing Lithuania remembered, but failed to tell Estonia was how long the walkway was. Upon looking at the very long dirt path, Estonia glared at Lithuania who shrugged.

The taxi drove off after Lithuania paid the man. They then began their long trek to America's front door. It was still raining, and it was coming down rather hard. Lithuania covered Latvia up with the blanket trying to shield him from the rain.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking, they pattered up the wooden porch of America's house. Only Latvia was dry; Estonia and Lithuania were soaking wet. Estonia looked at Lithuania and pointed to the doorbell. Lithuania sighed knowing that Estonia was too afraid to ring it himself. Shuffling over and balancing Latvia in his arms, Lithuania reached out and rang the bell.

Through the silence, the two nations could hear the ringing echo through the large house. After a minute or two, a light switched on and the door began to open. Estonia had to admit, he was rather frightened. He had never met America face to face. And he had no idea how he would react to being woken up at six in the morning.

A very disgruntled and messy-haired American opened the door. He shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose and peered out into the night looking at the three nations who interrupted his sleep. He blinked, surprised. "Liet?" He asked tiredly, "What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?"

Lithuania nodded an apology on his tongue. "I'm sorry, Mr. America," he said, "But we need your help. Can we come in?" America opened his mouth to question the nation, but changed his mind and stepped aside to let them in. He then led the nations to the living room where he sat himself down on an armchair. Lithuania unwrapped Latvia and laid him on the couch. America's eyes widened, not having noticed the small nation in Lithuania's arms before.

Lithuania then sat on the end of the couch and Estonia took a seat on another armchair. "Alright, you guys. What's going on? And what's wrong with Latvia?" America asked looking from Estonia to Lithuania.

Estonia and Lithuania made eye contact. Lithuania sighed. "Mr. America, we need your help. We... Ran away from Russia... And we really, really need your help."

* * *

_I realize that I made it all like "Oh no~ Six am~! America's gonna die from being up /so/ early." But I failed at the time conversion. See, when I was writing this I forgot about the 3 hours it took to walk to the airport so I did the time conversions wrong. They're right now, though. But hey! I would hate to be woken up at six in the morning. I sleep real late. That's why I hate my alarm. So. Flipping. Much ._

_Random fact: My foot's asleep :D  
Random fact 2: The FF document editor is being evil to be and has been a jerk for a while now._

_Anyway, review PLEASE :3 Reviews make my day :D _


	5. Compassion

_THANK YOU :D I was honestly beginning to think that this story was failing because I didn't get many reviews. But yesterday I check my email and I had a whole bunch~! So thank you guys so, so much :D  
_  
_Not much to say about this chapter except the fact that I felt the need to throw in a random movie. x3 What? It's pretty American xD It's... Well, read on and you'll see what it is~!  
_  
_Enjoy~!

* * *

_

"That Commie Bastard did _what_ now?" America's voice boomed. His eyes were wide with furry and hatred as he glanced from Lithuania to Estonia.

"Well..." Lithuania trailed of not wanting to make America mad. He sighed, defeated, knowing that he couldn't keep the truth from him much longer. "Yeah. And we need your help. We'll work without pay if you just keep us from Russia." Lithuania looked up at America, his eyes pleading.

America blinked and sighed trying to calm himself. "Of course I'll help you," he said kindly, "Make yourself at home. By the way, how's Latvia doing?" His eyes flickered over to the still sleeping Latvia.

Lithuania and Estonia followed his gaze. The boy's breathing was even and he seemed to be resting peacefully. "He'll be fine in about a week," Estonia told him, "He just needs some rest. But he'll work when he's better."

"It's Ok, he can take his time," America smiled, "He needs to recover." The nation then stood up and went into the hall. When he came back, he was carrying pillows and blankets. "Here you go," he said, "You guys can sleep down here. I'll have the guest room ready tomorrow."

"Thank you Mr. America," Lithuania said with a thankful smile.

"Yes, thank you," Estonia stated.

"No problem-o," America laughed, "But seriously, dudes, you don't need to call me 'Mr.' America. Just call me America. Better yet, you can call me Alfred if you wanna." With that, he returned upstairs to his own room to get some sleep out of what was left of the night, or, well, day by this time. The other two nations made themselves comfortable on America's living room couches. They fell asleep instantly, into a world of peaceful darkness.

* * *

Lithuania awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. He couldn't remember the last time he had awaken to that smell before. Usually, he was the one in the kitchen making breakfast and others awoke to him cooking. For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming, but then he felt the soft couch underneath him and realized where he was. His eyes shot open and he sat up looking around the living room. Estonia and Latvia were still asleep.

Gently pulling the covers off of himself, he wandered into the kitchen where he saw a rather aggravated looking America attempting to cook on the stove.

"Ouch! Dammit," the nation growled at the pan, "No! I told you chocolate chips to go _there_." He glared at the pan before looking up and finally noticing Lithuania. "Hey, Liet!" he greeted with a smile, "How'd you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you," Lithuania replied politely, "And you?"

"Great!" America smiled before returning to the pan. Lithuania stood there for a moment unsure of what to do. "I'm making waffles," America told him without looking up, "But they're not doing what I'm telling them to do."

"Here, let me help," Lithuania offered walking over to the stove. A part of him wondered how in the world America was managing to cook waffles in a pan, but didn't bother to ask.

"No!" America said sternly. Lithuania jumped, startled, and stared at America with a confused look. "Sorry, didn't mean for it to come out that harsh," America apologized, "But you're tired and you just got here. Just take it easy for right now. Go get the others up; it's almost time to eat."

Lithuania nodded and walked back into the living room where Estonia was just beginning to wake up. The blonde looked at him first with wide eyes before shooting him a kind smile. He then looked over at the other couch where Latvia was still asleep. Wordlessly, the two older nations made their way over to the boy.

"Mr. Amer- I mean America said it's time to eat," Lithuania said, "Do you think we should wake Latvia up for that?"

Estonia nodded. "We need to make sure his condition didn't worsen," he said, "Besides, he must be hungry." Lithuania nodded as they began gently shaking the boy to get him to wake up.

Finally, the boy's eyes opened and his violet eyes instantly began scanning the room. He looked over at Lithuania and smiled. "Hey Liet," he said, "Are we at Mr. America's yet?"

Before Lithuania could answer, America walked into the room to see what had taken the other nations so long. "Hey! Good morning, Latvia," America greeted when he saw the boy looking at him, "You hungry? I made waffles!"

Latvia's eyes widened with excitement as he nodded an enthusiastic 'yes.' Lithuania and Estonia helped him out of the blankets. He stood up and was a little wobbly but was able to stand on his own. They made their way to the dining room where America had set out a five star breakfast. At least, that's what it looked like. They hadn't tasted anything yet.

"This looks really good!" Latvia exclaimed as he took his seat, "But I heard that you're as bad a cook as England. Or at least, you have no sense of taste."

Lithuania gasped at the boy's sudden comment. He had a tendency to speak without thinking, but Lithuania had forgotten to warn America about that. "Latvia!" Lithuania scolded in a high voice, "You don't just say things like that!" He turned to America with apologetic eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mr. America. Please forgive him!"

America looked at Lithuania, confused for a moment. Then he began to chuckle. "Sorry?" he asked, "That's alright! Don't worry about it! And what did I say about calling me 'Mr. America?' Please, just call me America or Alfred." With a laugh he turned to Latvia who by now had turned a bright red. "Don't worry about it, kiddo! My sense of taste has improved over the years, I promise! And if that's not enough to convince you, I got this recipe from Canada. And I followed it exact!"

The two older Baltics let out a forced laugh thankful that Latvia's comment didn't earn them a trip back to Russia. The four ate their breakfast while America chatted aimlessly on about trivial things such as hamburgers, New York, and jet skiing. When they were finished, America picked up all the plates himself and personally took care of the dishes. Lithuania wanted to help, but America refused to let him, telling the oldest Baltic that he could start working tomorrow if he really wanted, but not a second sooner.

America then dragged them into the living room where he turned the DVD player on and shut off all the lights. Lithuania groaned. He was afraid this would turn into one of America's scary movie routines. Having lived with America for a period of time, Lithuania knew first hand that scary movies and America do not mix. And Lithuania was in no mood or condition to deal with a scared shitless America.

Thankfully, though, America put on _Rock n' Roll High School_ instead of some stupid horror movie. "It's a classic," America explained as he took a seat on his five-seater couches in front of the television. He placed himself between Latvia and Lithuania. Estonia was sitting on Lithuania's other side.

Just as the movie started, America jumped up and ran into the kitchen. Exactly two minutes and fifty five seconds later, he came back with a bowl full of popcorn, a two liter bottle of Coke, and a package of plastic cups. "Now it's a party!" he exclaimed as Tom was being shoved in a locker.

Lithuania was amazed at the larger nation. He didn't feel the need to talk about what was going on. He didn't scold them for coming to him. On the other hand, he also didn't go on and on about himself being the hero that would save all of them. He just wanted them to feel at home. He wanted them to feel safe.

The movie was actually more interesting than Lithuania thought it would be. It was definitely a typical American movie, but it also showed the determination of a young girl. Although many people stood in her way Riff, the main character, would not let anyone stop her from achieving her dream of writing a song for the Ramones. It got Lithuania to thinking that maybe, just maybe, freedom wasn't that far off if the three just put their minds to it.

The movie ended a few hours later, but America didn't get up to turn the television off. Instead, he poked Lithuania on the leg and put his finger to his lips. Lithuania looked at him confused and wondered what he meant by that. The larger nation then pointed to the opposite side of him. Lithuania followed his finger and saw that Latvia had fallen asleep and was dozing on America's shoulder.

"I didn't think anyone could stay asleep during a Ramones song, but I guess I was wrong," America laughed quietly. His face softened as he turned to look at the sleeping boy. "Must have been rough on him, huh?"

"Yeah," Lithuania sighed, "You have no idea."

"I don't," America agreed, "But if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here." America smiled before taking the boy into his arms and laying him down on another couch. The larger nation draped a blanket over Latvia to keep him warm as he slept. He then went to the television and turned the DVD off. The screen flicked to the news where a woman was on the screen reporting about a burglary in downtown New York.

America came back to the couch and sat down between Lithuania and Estonia. The three of them pretended to watch the news, but really their minds were on other things.

"How long do you think it will be before Latvia is all better?" Lithuania asked. The question was directed at everyone in the room, but no one answered immediately.

America looked down at the oldest Baltic who was staring at the television pretending to be interested. "I don't know," America responded, "It really depends. But as long as we take good care of him, I think he should be fine."

"Either way, he's much better off here than in Russia's house," Estonia said solemnly. The other two nodded their agreement as they let a peaceful silence come over them. They continued to watch the television while listening to Latvia's calm breaths. For once, Lithuania and Estonia felt safe. They felt free. And it felt amazing to be able to feel _something_ for once.

* * *

_WHOO~! Alrighty. So, how 'bout them Rock n' Roll High School references x3 Sorry~! My dad and I started a new Christmas Eve tradition: Watch Rock n' Roll High School before bed. I wrote this chapter after Christmas and so... Yeah. _

_Not much to say about this one. I hope you all enjoyed a "brotherly" side of America :D Next time we see the World Meeting, introduce England, and we get to see Russia... For five seconds x3 But it's all good._

So, review please as reviews are super amazingly amazing :D 


	6. What BP Said

_Thank you for the reviews~! They mean so much to me! I am really trying to improve as a writer and they help so, so much!_

_Well, my computer's charger broke and I won't be getting a new one until next week. Don't worry, though! I have everything saved through fan fiction on the document manager. I just thought you should know x3_

_Anyway, enjoy~!_

* * *

America set up a guestroom for the three nations. It was small as he only had one extra bedroom, but it would certainly do. There was only one twin bed in the room, but America had another cot he had stored in the attic. He also blew up an air bed so that all three of them could have their own 'bed.' Lithuania insisted that Latvia have the only real bed in the room and no one disagreed. Estonia then told Lithuania that he would sleep on the air bed. Lithuania protested a bit, but hesitantly agreed to sleep on the slightly more comfortable cot next to the twin bed.

The three said goodnight to America and headed up to bed. Latvia had not woken up since he had fallen asleep and the other two Baltics agreed that he probably would not wake up until morning. So, they brought him upstairs and decided to go to bed themselves. Once Latvia was settled into the bed, the other two made themselves comfortable on their own makeshift beds.

"It's amazing," Lithuania stated simply staring up at the white ceiling.

"What is?" Estonia asked rolling over to look up at the older nation.

"That we're even here," Lithuania replied smiling down on the younger, "I can't believe we made it. It's like a dream. I honestly find myself afraid that I'm going to wake up. But then I realize that it isn't a dream. And that realization is both scary and amazing at the same time."

Estonia thought for a moment and decided that he felt exactly the same way. "I agree," he said, "I'm just afraid of what Russia's going to do now that we're gone."

Lithuania frowned. "Don't worry about him, Estonia," he said, "We're almost there. We're almost free. And free nations don't worry about what Russia will do without them."

Estonia paused for a moment and then sighed. "You're right, Liet," he told him, "Good night."

"…Good night Eduard."

* * *

Lithuania awoke the next morning to the sound of banging and crashing. Without a second thought, he jumped out of the cot and ran downstairs. America was in the kitchen thrashing about, banging pots and pans and slamming cabinet doors.

"Mr. America, what's wrong?" Lithuania asked timidly, "Did you lose something?" America paused and looked back at the small nation. He forced a smile on his face before continuing his banging.

"Hey, dude," he greeted, "Did I wake you? I'm so sorry! I'm just trying to find something to eat quickly. I'm late for the World Meeting!"

"World Meeting?" Lithuania asked, "There's one today?"

"Yeah, but don't sweat it, dude," America said grabbing a Hostess cupcake, "I'll go make sure that everything's alright. 'Kay?"

"You're not going to tell anyone we're here, are you?" Lithuania asked frantically, "Russia's going to be there, right? You can't tell him we're here! For both our safety and your own!"

"Of course I wouldn't tell anyone you're here," America told him, "Especially not that commie bastard. I just meant that I would bring back news. You're countries after all, so you deserve to know what's going on in the world."

"R… Right," Lithuania agreed his fear beginning to subside, "So, do you have anything that you need us to do while you're gone?"

America paused for a moment trying to think of something. He wanted to tell them that no, there was nothing they could do, but knew that they would want to do _something_. "Well, it would be awesome if you could start dinner for us before I get back. Anything you find here that you want, just make it," America told him. "And… Maybe you could dust the furniture in the living room. If you have time, that is. And… Oh! Make sure you do a wash. Your clothes must be dirty by now. And if you could throw my clothes in too that would be great. Don't worry about folding them. I'll take care of that."

Lithuania nodded. "Yes, Mr. Amer-… I mean America," he said shyly, "Will do."

America smiled before grabbing his coat off the hook. Lithuania realized that as they had been talking, America had guided them over to the front hall. "But above all, keep an eye on Latvia," America told him, "And don't let him do too much." America opened the door, but paused before turning back to Lithuania with a happy grin. "That's an order," he added with a wink as he turned and shut the door behind him.

And so Lithuania was engulfed in silence. America had left neither a television nor a radio on. It wasn't until Estonia woke up a half an hour later that Lithuania finally heard some noise.

"Morning, Lithuania," Estonia had greeted. Lithuania smiled and told the younger nation about the chores that America had asked them to do. He also assured Estonia that America would not blow their cover. They then went back upstairs and woke up Latvia who was still a little dizzy, but seemed to be recovering just fine. They placed him on the living room couch to watch television as they went about America's house doing mindless chores.

* * *

"Today's World Meeting agenda is as follows: Opening announcements then economic reports, trading reports, and peace reports. Key issues today are the Oil Spill in the Gulf, Global Warming, and worldwide terrorism. There will be a five minute recess between each report and a fifteen minute lunch break between the last report and the first issue. Any questions?" Germany sighed and put the agenda down. There was a lot on the list, but chances were they wouldn't get past the opening announcements.

Prussia raised his hand. Germany sighed and gestured for him speak. "What's for lunch?" he asked a teasing grin plastered on his face.

"Pasta!" Italy shouted before Germany could yell at Prussia, "I made it! I made it last night specifically for this meeting! Germany helped! Right, Germany?" Italy poked Germany on the arm.

Germany sighed, but nodded. "That is correct, Italy," he said, "Now, any _important_ questions?" He shot a glare at Prussia. When no one responded, he pulled out the first piece of paperwork. "Alright, then. Let's begin."

The meeting actually went rather well. There were very few interruptions and almost no arguments. Economies, unfortunately, were not in the best shape, but most of the countries were at peace. Lunch went rather well and everyone agreed that Italy definitely made the best pasta. When the break was over, the countries returned to their assigned seats. The next item on the list was the BP Oil Spill, a topic the countries had been discussing for a little while.

England dreaded this part of the meeting. It was the perfect chance for the others to take shots at him, especially America. But today, America seemed rather calm. He even looked as though he had other things on his mind.

"Anyway, America," England was saying, "We're trying our best to clean everything up. We are very sorry for what happened."

"Hey, it's alright, dude," America smiled, "Shit happens."

"I know you're really mad-" England paused and let the previous sentence sink in. "Wait. What did you say?"

"I said 'it's alright,'" America said, "Things like this happen. I know you didn't mean for it to happen. You were hit by it too, dude. We'll get it cleaned up and move on, 'kay?"

"But America," France interjected, "You were in the hospital for a week. Can you really move on from that?"

"I think so," America replied, "I mean, it was an accident. Kind of like someone falling off a ladder. It's an accident. The person with them is not to blame, nor are they. They might be in the hospital for a week, but they'll get better, go home, and move on."

"Last month you were making B.P. jokes," Spain commented, "Like when Italy spilled his wine and Germany said 'That's going to be hard to clean up,' you shouted 'That's what B.P. said!' And now you're completely fine?"

"Yup, pretty much," America smiled. The other countries simply stared at him until Germany announced it was time to move onto the next topic.

England was pretty surprised. He knew that America was not angry-he had told the Brit privately-but he never passed up the chance to poke fun at the Englishman. England decided that he would talk to the younger nation after the meeting to find out what was going on.

The next two topics went rather quickly with no resolution and a point to bring them up at the next meeting. Germany reminded everyone that the next meeting was at Italy's house and was just about to adjourn the meeting when Russia raised his hand. "What is it, Russia?" Germany asked.

"I just wanted to let everyone know that my Baltic states are missing, da?" Russia smiled a creepy smiled at the rest of the table. "And I want them back. If you are hiding them from me, there will be consequences. So, if you have any information tell me, da?" Although the words were menacing, the large country spoke in a happy upbeat voice that scared the crap out of the other nations.

Germany then adjourned the meeting and everyone stood up to go home. America was grabbing his coat when England bustled over to him. America looked up and smiled a genuine 'hello.'

"Are you feeling alright?" England asked cutting right to the chase. America looked confused for a moment before smiling and nodding.

"Yeah, I'm fine, dude," he said, "How are you doing?"

"This isn't about me!" England shouted annoyed at the younger nation. "You're not getting sick are you?"

America blinked as he shrugged his coat on. "I told you, I'm fine Iggy," the younger nation told him. He glanced around the meeting room and saw that they were the only ones left. "Wanna come over for something to drink?" he asked, "Then you can be sure I'm fine."

England blushed a deep crimson. "F… Fine!" he said following America out of the room. They traveled down the steps, out the doors, and across the parking lot to America's white pickup truck. England had called a cab from the hotel he was staying at so he didn't need to worry about coming back for his car.

America slid into the driver's seat and England sat down next to him. The car came to life as America turned the key. He backed out of the parking lot and drove the car onto the main road. There was an awkward silence as neither country spoke.

"Can I trust you?" America asked so quietly that England almost didn't catch it.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" England yelled at him.

"I mean… You won't tell Russia, will you?"

"We're allies, but not exactly friends, America," England told him, "So, no. But what are you talking about?"

"I know where the Baltics are," America let the sentence linger in the air as England looked over at him, shocked beyond belief. "They're at my place. They ran away when Russia beat Latvia so much the kid got a concussion. They ran to me asking for my help." America looked over at the older nation. "You won't tell Russia, will you? And we can trust you, right? Because they're already going to kill me for letting you come over."

England blinked. "Yea… Yeah," he said, "I won't tell anyone. But you do know what you're getting yourself into, right? I mean, if Russia ever finds out…"

"I know," America said solemnly, "But I have to help them. Not as countries, but as friends. And I can't let them go back to Russia's house. Latvia got a concussion from that commie bastard! Who knows that he would do to them?"

England nodded. "But how are you going to help them?"

America paused as he turned a corner. "I'm going to let them stay at my place," he replied, "And I'm sure that soon enough, they will declare independence from Russia. But they need to play their cards right. They can't just come out with it. Russia will go to war and they're not strong enough to win. They just need to wait until we've got Russia in a corner. Then Russia will have no choice but to accept their independence."

England thought for a moment and looked up at the younger nation. "You're dead set on this, aren't you?" he asked, "You're going to help them at all costs?"

"Hell yeah."

* * *

"M… Mr. En… England. Uh… How are you? You look well. We're just… On vacation…" Lithuania looked over at the America for help. The nation just smiled and patted him on the back.

"It's alright, Liet," America told Lithuania, "Iggy here is safe. He's gonna help me keep you guys a secret from Russia." Lithuania let out a sigh of relief as did Estonia who was standing next to him.

They were all in the living room that evening. England had his mandatory cup of tea, America had some coffee, and Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia had hot chocolate. Latvia smiled at England. "Hello!" he said, "It's nice to meet you for real! Is it true that you tend to get drunk a lot?"

"Latvia!" Estonia and Lithuania shouted at the same time. America burst out into laughter saying something about how he 'really likes this kid.' England's face turned red, but chucked a little at the innocent question.

"No, not as often as I used to," England told the boy, "When I was a pirate, I would drink myself senseless. But now I am a more reformed gentleman and I prefer tea to rum any day."

"Yeah, tell that to the pictures from last year's Christmas party," America laughed. England growled at him.

"You damn git! You know those pictures were Photoshopped!" England yelled. The other four couldn't help but laugh. Especially because everyone knew that those pictures were real and not altered in any way without even having to go back and double check.

When they had all calmed down, they continued talking about how they were going to keep hidden from Russia. England swore that they secret was safe with him and said that he would stick around a little longer to be sure everything was going alright. America told them of his plans for their independence and how they had to time it just right. They all agreed that it was not the time to declare independence as Russia would just go to war.

They were supposed to come up with a plan, but they were all far too tired to do so. So after a few more cups of tea, England decided it was time to head back to the hotel. Because England was going to come back first thing in the morning, America tossed him the keys to his truck telling him that he might as well take it so long as he didn't crash.

England headed to the door and Latvia followed him. "Good bye, Mr. England!" Latvia smiled to the older nation. England turned around and placed a hand on the younger's head.

"Don't call me 'Mr. England,' lad," he told the boy, "Just 'England,' alright?" Latvia nodded and England's smile widened. "Get well soon. You're looking a little tired. Make sure to get plenty of rest."

"Yes, sir, England, sir!" Latvia smiled. England chucked a bit. His face then turned rather serious.

"You're very lucky to have some friends on your side," England told the boy, "Estonia and Lithuania are two of the nicest people in the world."

Latvia nodded. "They're like brothers to me," he whispered.

England's smile returned. "Well, get a good night's rest then and I'll see you in the morning," he said as he turned and walked out the door.

"Bye, England!" Latvia waved, "And thank you!"

England smiled to himself as he walked down America's driveway. The boy's eyes were filled with hope and happiness. The older nation prayed that happiness would stay. He prayed that everything would turn out alright and the young boy would never have to face the horrors of Russia again.

This truly wasn't a matter of countries. This was a matter of what was morally and ethically right. Beating a child to the point of a concussion is not moral. And even if the child is a country, the abuser still has no right! Children-even countries-deserved to be loved and respected. Yes, countries are countries. But children are still children. And that is what angered England the most.

* * *

_ BP for the win x3 Sorry, it was the only current thing I could come up with~!_

_Next chapter: Russia looses his shit. There happy? Yup next chapter shit goes down. _

_And yes, I do update fast. Sorry if that annoys anyone~! But it's better than never updating, right? x3 (and I also have no life and nothing better to do than write all day /SHOT because it's true xD)_

_So please revew~ They make me so super happy~! A critique, a thank you (i don't know why I get those, but they're so sweet all the same x3), anything. I want to know what YOU think~!_


	7. Intruder

_Whoo~! New chapter!_

_Thank you so, SO much for pointing the BP thing out. This story is NOT historical and is in NO WAY associated with the events in 1989. Still, I should not have included BP. I'm sorry if I confused you. And thanks for pointing it out~!_

_Anyway, enjoy! OH! And tell me how I did writing Russia. I've never written him before, so sorry if he's OOC. Please tell me if he is x3_

* * *

The weeks went by without any worries. Russia was still on the lookout for his Baltics, but had yet to come searching around America's house. England was a great source of information from "the outside world" as America called it. Latvia was getting better and was able to help out around the house, although America made sure he did as little as possible.

A few weeks after the World Meeting, America had to go to a luncheon somewhere in New York City. He grumbled to himself about how stupid these things were as Lithuania helped him put on his tie.

"Is this for work?" Lithuania asked, pulling the tie tighter.

"Yeah," America groaned, "Just me and a room full of old people. It's going to be so boring! I honestly wish I could stay home, you know? But no! My boss said 'Alfred, you have to go to this. It's important you get to know these people.' Ugg! Can you believe that? I'm so pissed!" He looked at himself in the mirror and made a face. He was dressed in a black suit and an American flag tie.

"I'm sure it won't be _that_ bad," Lithuania tried knowing that, yes; it was going to be super boring. Meetings like those always were. And if there were politicians in attendance, it was going to be horrible! Lithuania could only hope the energetic nation won't offend anyone.

America sighed and grabbed his nice black coat halfheartedly. He turned to face Lithuania one last time as though he would never see him again. And maybe he wouldn't. There was a 72.9% chance that he would die of boredom. The larger nation waved his hand in a solemn goodbye before shutting the screen door behind him.

Lithuania smiled to himself as he closed the larger wooden door and walked into the kitchen to clean the appliances. Estonia and Latvia were in the laundry room folding the laundry. It was just the three of them in the lonely house. It would only be for a little while, though, as England was supposed to come over for lunch and afternoon tea. America had called it 'Baltic Sitting' to which Lithuania and the other two Baltics had laughed and England had just glared.

Lithuania was almost done cleaning the kitchen when a powerful feeling came over him. His nose twitched and itched and he knew what was coming. He quickly threw up his arm and let a huge sneeze tumble into his elbow. Another one and then another one came as Estonia walked into the kitchen to take the garbage out.

"Feeling alright, Lithuania?" he asked with a touch of concern as he walked to the cabinet where the trashcan was located.

"I'm fine," Lithuania said. He looked up at Estonia and smiled.

"I hope you're not coming down with anything." Estonia gave him a worried look before pulling out the white garbage bag.

"Like I said; 'I'm fine!'" Lithuania told him as walked over to the sink to pick up a blue sponge. He began scrubbing the counter with all the elbow grease he could muster. Estonia paused for just a moment longer before taking the white bag and walking out the door. He returned a few moments later and shivered from the brisk winter air.

The day went on and soon all the Baltics had finished their chores. They sat on the long couch in the living room absently watching television. Halfway through a news cast, Lithuania let out a string of coughs and sneezes.

"Are you sure you're alright, Lithuania?" Estonia asked standing up prepared to get anything the older nation would need.

"It's probably just a cold," Lithuania replied, "Nothing to worry about." He shot Estonia a kind smile trying to rid the younger nation of any fears. If it was anything, it probably was just a small cold. But that fact didn't make him any less tired or his nose less stuffed up.

"I'll go make some hot chocolate," Estonia said smiling softly.

"I want some too!" Latvia called out. The other two laughed merrily as Estonia walked into the kitchen to start the hot chocolate.

A few minutes later, the Baltics were all under one large blanket happily sipping hot chocolate and watching some random movie on the American Movie Channel. Neither really cared about what the movie was; they were just happy to have each other. The three couldn't help but remember that in Russia, they were never treated like this. They would never have dared to sit and rest at Mr. Russia's. And if one of them had a cold, no one cared, especially not Russia. They still had to work regardless.

Only a little bit after they had all finished their hot chocolate, Lithuania fell asleep. He rested his head on Estonia's too tired to feel any embarrassment. Estonia's face went red when he realized that Lithuania had fallen asleep, but he soon became more comfortable and smiled.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Latvia jumped up to go to the door. Standing on his tip toes, he looked through the peephole. Emerald eyes looked up at him. "It's Mr. England!" Latvia called back. He unlocked the door and opened it. England stepped inside as Latvia jumped up and down with excitement.

"Hi, Mr. England!" Latvia greeted, "How are you? We've missed you! Liet is asleep, so you have to be quiet!"

"I'm doing well, thank you," England smiled placing a hand on the boy's head, "Lithuania's asleep?" He turned his head and saw Lithuania asleep on Estonia. Estonia blushed and nodded a greeting towards England. "Is he feeling alright?" England asked.

"He has a small cold," Latvia said, "Estonia says he'll feel better tomorrow."

"Ah, I see," England said his eyes darting around the house for a certain blonde haired blue eyes spunky American, "By the way, where is Alfred? He invited me over for tea today." The Brit's face turned sour as he began to realize that the younger nation was not there. England made his way into the living room and sat down on the arm chair.

"He had to go to a luncheon," Estonia explained, "He said he'd be back as soon as he could get out. It's for work, so he completely forgot about it until his boss called him last night to remind him."

"Ah, that git is always forgetting important date," England sighed, "So how have you all been holding up?"

"We're doing very well," Estonia told him, "Mr. Amer- I mean America has been nothing but kind to us. It's been a long time since we've experienced kindness such as this."

England smiled and nodded. "He's always been a little spacy and doesn't like to do work," he said, "Sometimes he can be a jerk and a little rude. But he's really, really nice. You're so lucky you have him to turn to."

"Well, it's 'cause of you, Mr. England!" Latvia told him, "You brought Liet to work for America and that's how they know each other. So when we were running away, we decided on America's house because Liet knew him so well!"

England nodded. "I thought it was a mistake bringing Lithuania to work for America," he recalled, "I thought that it would be no better than working for Russia. But I was wrong. They got along quite well."

"America's an amazing person," Estonia whispered.

"Yes, he is," England sighed. The four sat watching television for the next hour or so. Finally, there was a knock at the door and a tired, disgruntled American let himself in. He tossed off his already loosened tie and drifted over to the living room before collapsing on the couch. He opened his eyes a few minutes later and looked around the room. When his eyes landed on England's scowering face he jumped up and shot him a sheepish smile.

"Hey dude," he said, "Want some tea?"

"I wanted some tea two hours ago, Alfred," England growled, "But I was informed that you had a luncheon to go to that you forgot about."

"Oh, come on, Iggy! I'm sorry!" America pleaded, "It's not my fault… Well, it is, but it's still not completely my fault. My stupid boss made me go! So much punishment is almost dying from boredom, right?" He shot a winning smile at England who was trying his best to keep a straight face.

Unfortunately, the cuteness of America's puppy eyes was too much for the older nation. He broke into a soft smile despite himself. "Fine, go get me some tea, you git!" England told him.

America did a fist pump and jumped up. He turned to Estonia and Lithuania but paused when he saw Lithuania asleep. "Hey, is Liet alright?" he asked.

"He has a cold," Estonia told him, "He should feel better tomorrow."

America made an 'O' shape with his mouth and picked up the hot chocolate cups to bring into the kitchen. Estonia went red realizing that he should have picked them up right after they had finished. But the truth was, America didn't think anything of it as he went to make tea for England and coffee for himself.

While America was fixing the hot drinks, there was a knock at the door. He left the water boiling on the stove and walked into the living room. "Go jump into the hall closet," he told the Baltics, "I'll get rid of whoever it is quickly." Estonia nodded and picked Lithuania up in his arms. He and Latvia then made their way into the spacious hall closet leaving it open only a crack so they could see who it was.

America unlocked the door and pulled it open. His eyes widened at who was standing in his doorway. He almost slammed the door in his face, but the visitor placed his hand on the door to prevent him from doing so.

"Hello, Mr. America," he said, "You know where my Baltics are, da?"

"I don't know nor do I give a shit," America told him struggling to gain control of the door, "What do you want, Russia?"

"I want my Baltics," Russia replied a creepy smile plastered on his face, "And you have them. Give them to me now, da?"

"He doesn't have them," England said appearing at America's side, "We're just as worried as you are, but we have no clue as to their whereabouts. We'll help you look for them, if you'd like." His voice came out calmly and smoothly although he himself was not calm in the least. On the inside, England was shaking and he prayed that it wasn't showing.

"You have already helped me," Russia told them. He then shoved his way past America and England and entered the house. He looked around for a moment before locking eyes with the closet. The large nation marched over to the closet where the Baltics were hiding before America could stop him.

Estonia saw him coming and was trying to push Latvia behind him. The door flew open and Russia grabbed Estonia by the scruff of the neck and Latvia by the hair and began to drag them away. America's reflexes finally kicked in as he ran over to Russia. He released Russia's grip on Latvia who was now crying and tried to get Russia's large hand off of Estonia.

"Let them go, you bastard!" America was shouting. England had taken Latvia and was holding him tightly to prevent him from being dragged away.

Russia was still smiling as he pulled a simple metal pipe out of his coat. He held it up high and brought it down upon America's head. The sound was sickening and echoed off the walls. England gasped and Latvia stopped crying long enough to see America's reaction.

The nation flinched but refused to let go. Russia thought that America would have collapsed and had loosed his hold on Estonia. America used every ounce of strength he had to pry Estonia away from Russia. The force was enough to send them toppling to the ground.

"Is Liet alright?" America asked weakly the full force of the attack to the head finally beginning to take its toll. Estonia nodded as tears pricked in his eyes.

Russia was not going to leave without at least one of his Baltics. He picked up his pipe and began swinging wildly. There were no more shots to the head, but America and Estonia were hit with the metal weapon.

Poor Estonia tried to protect Lithuania as best as he could, but the Russian was too strong. He wordlessly pried the still sleeping nation out of Estonia's weak hands. He then smiled his creepy smile before turning and heading out the door. "Thank you, da?" he said, "I'll be going now. I'll be back for my others later." England abandoned Latvia to run after Russia, but was thrown into the couch by the massive nation.

"Wait! Get back here!" America called his voice heavy and tired.

"Lithuania!" Estonia cried. Latvia's sobs could be heard on the other side of the room as the large nation left taking the defenseless Lithuania with him.

England ran over to America and Estonia who were struggling to get up. Their bodies were bruised and bloodied and they were utterly exhausted. The two could not sit up it as darkness claimed them and they collapsed.

* * *

_Excuse the typos OTL_  
_I saved but it didn't go through Dx Thankfully I didn't make a whole lot of changes._

_Anyway, I picked 72.9% because it was 9:27(am) when I wrote that line. I do little things like that sometimes x3_

_This was supposed to be a cute Valentines Day chapter. I... Uh... changed it a little. Just a little though x3_

_Lithuania is a heavy sleeper, huh. WHAT? He's gotta cold, alright Dx (that and I had no clue what to do with him... x3)  
And I don't know WHY the Baltics like hot chocolate so much in my fic. It's just such an innocent drink; I mean coffee is so 'grown up' and tea is so 'refined.' Hot chocolate represents innocense... -_-' Alright I'll stop being a writer now x3_

_So, PLEASE review x3 It would be awesome if you did! I don't bite! And if I do accidentally, I have all my shots x3_


	8. Doctor Internet

_Next chapter time~! This is going to sound so bad, but I'm so happy I made you cry ^J^ Whaaat? That's my job isn't it?_

_Nothing to say, so let's go. x3_

_EDIT: A WHOLE SECTION GOT CUT OUT. I'm so sorry! I've fixed it now by adlibbing, I hope it's alright Dx_

_I'm just going to delete the chapter and repost it. Sorry for the inconvinience. UGGG_

* * *

Estonia woke up with a splitting headache. He groaned and opened his eyes. A young boy was there standing over him looking very worried. His eyes filled with tears when he realized he was awake and began sobbing. "Estonia!" he cried, "I'm so happy you're alright!"

Estonia blinked now able to see Latvia much better. England had also hurried over. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked the Baltic nation. Estonia nodded at a loss for words. He sat up gripping his head and glanced over at another couch where someone lay. America.

"Is Mr. America alright?" he asked frantically. England cast his eyes down and Latvia looked as though he was going to cry. Thankfully before either could answer, a groan was heard from across the room. America shifted in the couch and sat up. He looked over at Estonia and smiled.

"Hey, let's go look for Liet now, alright?" he asked. England had hurried over to him, but stopped to glare.

"Go? Now? You must be kidding! You both suffered head injuries!" He shouted, "You have to rest!"

"No time!" America replied already up and making his way for the coat rack. "Estonia you feeling alright? You can stay here if you want, but I'm going to go find Liet."

"No, I'm fine," Estonia said, "I want to help too." He got up and followed America. Latvia hurried over as well. Eventually, they got England to agree with them and they headed out into the brisk winter air.

* * *

The four made their way down the busy New York City streets. It was about one in the afternoon and a little chilly. The streets were as crowded as they usually were, filled to the brim with countless people and animals trying to get from point A to point B.

Admittedly, the group had no clue where to go or what to do. So they went about the city trying to find some clue as to what to do. America suggested they head in the direction of the hotel where many of the countries were staying. Few countries were still there after the meeting that had taken place a few weeks ago. England was one and obviously Russia was another.

"What if they're already on a plane back to Russia?" Latvia asked in a voice laced with sobs.

"Even if he's going to leave quickly, there's no way he'd be able to find an international flight so quickly," America told him, "Besides, he said that he'd be back. I don't think he'd leave my country, go to his, and then come back. He might, but I don't think he would."

England and Estonia nodded in agreement. "He might be in the hotel," England offered, "There's really no other place to go. Plus, it's easy to keep someone there."

"_Oui!_" A voice called. It was a very familiar voice and the four countries turned around so see a blonde haired man running towards them. He got to them and stopped trying to catch his breath. He looked up at them with bright blue eyes, a shade lighter than America's own.

"France?" England asked irked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, _mon ami," _France replied, "What are you all doing?" His eyes then drifted over to Estonia and Latvia. "Hey! You're the missing Baltics!"

"Minus one," America said bitterly, "We're missing one. Russia took him. Do you have any ideas as to where Russia or Lithuania might be?"

France blinked. "I think I saw him heading back to the hotel," he said, "But why are you helping them? You know you can't afford to get in more trouble with Russia."

America glared. "It's not a matter of countries anymore," he said coolly, "This is a matter of Russia hurting and abusing an innocent child." He gestured to Latvia. "And now he has Liet. We need to get to them before Russia can do the same thing he did to Latvia."

"I never approved of what Russia was doing to the Baltics," France nodded, "And I always knew that something was happening behind closed doors." He turned to Estonia and looked him in the eyes with a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry I never did or said anything to stop him," France said solemnly.

"It's… Alright," Estonia sighed, "There was probably nothing you could do. Russia was always just too strong."

"We need to get moving," America said, "Thanks for your help, France!"

"Thanks for your help, Mr. Frog Face!" Latvia called in a childish sweet voice the expression obviously picked up from England. Estonia clasped a hand over the boy's mouth and began hustling away followed by America and England. They were now much closer to finding Lithuania.

* * *

"You had fun, da? Was your vacation much fun? I hope you had much fun! Now we can have even more fun when we get home, da?"

Russia was pacing around the large hotel suite. Lithuania was tied to a chair, blood slowly dripping down his cheek. When he had woken up, Russia had beaten him to a bloody pulp with the dreaded metal pipe. He then tied him to a chair, hit him more, and was now asking him questions.

"N… No," Lithuania said in a voice just above a whisper, "It… Was not any fun. I promise!"

"Ah, but you looked like you were having fun, da? Movies and popcorn? Fun times, da?" The creepy smile that Russia always wore never left his face. That was torture in itself. His face was bright and happy and the words came out in a happy, cheerful voice. But the words he spoke dripped with venom at the same time.

"No… No movies! No popcorn!" Lithuania cried his eyes now too dry for tears. "P… Please, Mr. Russia! I'm sorry! Just please don't hit me!"

"Ah, but this is fun, da?" Russia asked bringing the metal pipe up over his head, "Just like movies and popcorn. Lots and lots of fun, da?" Lithuania shut his eyes tightly, trying to brace himself for the blow that was sure to come. His body hurt all over and the pain was almost unbearable. He knew his senses were fading, but he was trying to stay awake. Because if he slept, there would be no chance of escaping.

His hopes were dashed when the massive country brought the pipe down. Lithuania chose not to see it, but could hear is whistling through the air. It only took a split second, but to the poor abused country it felt like hours. Finally, the pipe made contact with his head with one sickening sound that bounced off the walls.

The pain was horrible, but Lithuania only felt it for a few moments before the inevitable darkness filled him. He struggled against it, but was too weak to fight it off.

His body slumped forward in the chair, limp from unconsciousness. His breathing was labored and heavy even though his sleep. If he was left like this, he might not make it out alive. Russia's smile remained as he went to the closet to get his coat. He was going to collect the rest of his Baltics. He paused wondering if leaving Lithuania alone was a good idea. Russia shrugged figuring the smaller, weaker country wouldn't be going anywhere soon and shut the door behind him.

Lithuania remained unconscious as a pool of blood swiftly collected at the base of the simple wooden chair.

* * *

The four countries burst into the hotel lobby. It was a nice hotel, one of the nicest in New York. The main entrance was decorated in gold, although probably fake. The door was also pretty, a nice revolving door. Latvia had never seen one of those before and had a great amount of fun with it. Finally, Estonia was able to pull him out of it although he was also entranced by the magnificent door.

"We're looking for Ivan Braginski's room. He might also be under the name Russia," America said frantically to the person at the desk. He was dressed in a fancy uniform that displayed the hotel's elegance.

"Top floor suite 589," the man said with a bored expression before returning his attention to the magazine he had hidden under the desk. America shouted a quick 'thanks' as he ushered the others over to the elevator.

"Wanna press the button, dude?" he asked Latvia who excitedly pressed the circular white button making it glow yellow. He let out a squeak of delight and looked excitedly at the older nations.

The elevator finally came and they piled in. Thankfully, no one else was in or trying to get in. Latvia pressed the button for level six as the doors slid shut. The wait was almost unbearable and the air was stifling. Finally, a bell dinged and they jumped out into the fancy carpeted hallway of the sixth floor. They ran down the hall passing suite after suite until they finally came to 589.

America pounded on the door. "Open up you bastard!" he shouted at the door. He tried the handle, but it was locked.

They waited a few minutes for someone to answer while America pounded on the door. No one did. "Maybe he went out," England suggested.

America shot everyone a mischievous smile. "If that's the case, then…" he trailed off. He brought his foot up and back and slammed it against the white wooden door. It cracked a little bit.

"Alfred!" England shouted, "You can't just break down a door! That's against the law… I think. Well, it's still not right."

"Fuck the law; I'm doing whatever the hell I want!" America shouted as he slammed his foot into the door a second time. The other two Baltics stood in awe at the strong country. It was amazing seeing him go to such great lengths just for them. They were just the Baltics; nothing special.

"Dammit! Help me, dudes! I can't break this damn thing down by myself," America shouted not caring who heard. Unfortunately, a few people did hear; mostly the other rich snobs who were staying on that floor. They came out of their rooms and watched as the four countries slammed their feet into the door, finally getting it to topple over.

They charged in and began searching the suite. "Lithuania!" Estonia shouted rushing over to the kitchen were Lithuania was still seated in the chair. The pool of blood had grown and the poor nation was bleeding from the head and arms. His breathing was stressed although he was unconscious. The others rushed in and ran to his side.

"Liet, Liet," America said shaking his shoulder, "Wake up, Liet! Come on, buddy! We're all here and Russia's not! It's me, America. And Latvia, Estonia, and England are all here too." He kept calling to the nation, but he could not be woken up. Finally, America untied him and lifted him up in his strong arms.

"We need to get him to a hospital," England said.

"We can't go to a hospital," America responded waving his hand awkwardly to brush the idea away, "That's were Russia will look for us. I have a first aid kit at home. He'll be fine."

"But he's seriously injured! He needs a doctor," England protested.

"I have a doctor!"

"At your house?"

"Yes."

"Really? Alright then, what's his name?" England tapped his foot.

"We have to get out of here!" America shouted ignoring England and getting everyone out of the room. England glared, but knew that they really did have to get out. They had to get Lithuania to safety before it was too late. They ran past the staring eyes and down the stairs. They couldn't take the elevator as it would take too long. It was fast to go down stairs anyways. They ran out of the hotel before anyone could call the police.

"So, what's your doctor's name?" Latvia asked innocently as he jogged beside America down the New York Streets.

America beamed and shouted loud enough for England to hear, "Doctor Internet!"

* * *

_*I chose the numer 589 because it was in 1989 that people from the Baltic countries formed a human chain across the three countries. I picked the five because it is the sixth floor, but in this hotel the 100's are on the second floor, the 200's are on the 3rd floor, and so on. Fancy, eh? x3_

_Anyway, I hope you like. Yet another cliffie, eh? I hope Liet's alright o.o  
I had to throw in the Doctor Internet thing. Sorry... I just had to. Dx I fail, I know._

_So, PLEASE review~! I've been getting wonderful comments and would love to hear more. My friends call me annoying. Me? I call myself a review whore x3 and I want MOAR x3 _

_So if you have the chanse, take a pause, have some hot chocolate, relax, and write me a review x3_


	9. Heroes

_Thanks for the reviews~! Sorry Fan Fiction was weird. If you didn't read the part about Estonia and America waking up, go back and do so. Sorry D:_

_Anyway, enjoy~!_

* * *

Pain seeped back into existance as Lithuania slowly began to regain his senses. He did not open his eyes, or even move for that matter, trying to lessen the pain that was flooding him at the moment. There was something cool placed on his forehead, but the rest of his body was comfortably warm. He wondered where he was or if he was maybe dead. Maybe Russia had taken pitty on him and allowed him to rest in the large hotel bed.

But the sheets felt much warmer and more comfortable than the scratchy sheets from even the nicest hotel. They were heavy and full and so warm that Lithuania decided right then he would never want to leave.

"How's he doing?" he heard someone ask. The dulled patter of shoes on carpet filled the room. He tried to put a name and a face to the voice, but could not focus enough.

"I think he's doing alright, but I'm not sure," another voice explained, "The fever's gone down and most of the bleeding has stopped." Fever? Bleeding? Now Lithuania was worried. But then a little light clicked on inside his head. Some person, probably more than one, cared about his health and well being. Chances were, he had been found by someone.

With a small groan of pain, he opened his eyes. His vision was blury and sleep sand scratched at his eyes. A face appeared above his head, but he couldn't make out who it was. He blinked a few times trying to regain control of his vision. When he could finally see again, blue eyes behind glasses filled his vision. The person smiled and Lithuania tried to smile back, but it probably looked more like it was a grimace.

"Hey, Liet. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"E... Estonia?" Lithuania crocked out. He realized for the first time that his throat hurt and he really wanted something to drink. A nice cool glass of water would be best.

Estonia smiled and backed away. Lithuania didn't dare sit up, but was now able to asses his surroundings. He was in a large bed that seemed oddly familiar. Standing next to Estonia was America. The larger nation was also smiling, but his face seemed tired and worn. Come to think of it, Estonia's face also seemed rather tired.

"How are you doing, dude?" America asked.

"My throat is killing me. Do you have any water?" Lithuania felt that he had used the last of his voice. America's eyes widened probably mentally slapping himself and ran out of the room. He was back a few minutes later with a tall glass of water. England and Latvia trailed in after him, England holding a white china tea cup.

"Liet!" Latvia exclaimed. His violet eyes shone with amusement. He then paused realizing that he probably shouldn't shout. "Sorry," he said more quietly, "How are you feeling?"

Lithuania didn't reply but instead was propped up by America and Estonia. It hurt a lot, but once he got settled he relaxed. It grabbed the water and gulped it all down in one swift chug. He then gasped and whiped his mouth, the cool water dropplets sticking to his warm skin. "I'm alright," he said with a slight smile, "But it hurts everywhere." He paused and looked around the room. "Where am I?"

America frowned and fussed with the pillows and blankets trying to make Lithuania more comfortable. "Is that better?" he asked. Truth be told, no, it wasn't. But Lithuania nodded anyway because he knew that shifting the blankets wasn't going to lessen the pain at all. "You're at my house," America told him, "You're in my bedroom."

Lithuania blushed a deep crimson. "Oh... I... I'm sorry...," He stammered, "I can... Go to the guest room."

"That won't be nessasary," America assured him, "You need to recover. That old bed isn't going to help." Lithuania wanted to protest, but didn't knowing that America just wanted him to be comforatble.

England approached the bedside carrying a hot drink in his hands. He also held two small tablets. "These are supposed to ease the pain," England explained holding out the pills, "I'm not sure how well they will work as they are just over the counter meds, but it should help a little." He handed the pills and the cup to Lithuania who obediantly took them and chased them down with what was hot chocolate.

"What... Happened?" Lithuania finally asked looking around at the four nations.

There was a pause. "Russia took you," America said solemnly when no one else said anything, "We tried to stop him, but we couldn't. I'm so sorry, Liet."

"It's alright," Lithuania said. He didn't want the nation to feel bad or worry over him. "It wasn't your fault."

Everyone smiled warily. There was one question burning on their tongues, but knew better than to ask it. They wanted to know what Russia had done to the weaker nation. But Lithuania probably wasn't in the best of conditions to answer that.

A few minutes later, Estonia insisted that Lithuania sleep. He explained to the oldest Baltic that he had a small fever and needed rest above all else to get better. Lithuania didn't want to sleep any longer, but couldn't ignore how tired he felt. The second his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

America suggested that he teach Latvia how to play his video games. The boy happily followed him downstairs to the living room. Estonia stayed huffled over the bed, brushing the hair away from Lithuania's face and adjusting the compress. England was about to leave when he turned around and noticed Estonia was unsure of what to do.

"Are you coming, Estonia?" England asked pausing in the doorway and resting his hand on the frame. Estonia looked at him startled as a blush creeped across his face.

"I... I think I'm going to stay with Lithuania," he said, "I want to be sure he's alright."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," England smiled, "You shouldn't worry yourself like this. It's not good for your health."

"I'm fine," Estonia protested. He paused and looked down at the ground for a moment. Then his eyes drifted to Lithuania who was curled up on his side facing him. "I... _need _to be near him," he continued keeping his gaze on the sleeping nation. After a moment, he looked up at England his eyes briming with tears.

"I understand," England said. And he meant it. He knew that the Baltic needed to be near Lithuania. "Would you like me to bring you something? To eat? To drink? Maybe some tea and biscuts?"

Estonia smiled a little. He took off his glasses and impatiantly whiped his eyes. He fixed his glasses and nodded at England. "Yes," he said, "That would be wonderful." England smiled back and left the room. Estonia sat himself down on the chair and watched as Lithuania slept. England came back with tea and 'biscuts' that were actually chocolate chip cookies. He stayed for about a half hour before going back downstairs when he heard a great ruccus coming from the living room. Estonia was left in the slightly darkened and quiet room. The only sound was Lithuania's now more regular breathing.

"Please get better soon, Liet," Estonia said solemnly in the silence., "If you do, I promise to protect you. I'll never let you get hurt again."

* * *

"Yes! I beat you again!" Latvia shouted. The battle ship on the screen exploaded and a flashing 'winner' sign appeared.

"Again? Really?" America's face dropped. Had it been anyone else, he would have started swearing and thrashing about. But England had told him to be respectful of the age difference. America had let Latvia win the first few times, but the last few times Latvia had beaten him he had given his all.

"Just give it up, Alfred," England commented from the couch, "Even when you try, he's still much better than you." He took a sip of his tea and crossed his legs all snotty like.

"Oh shut it," America mumbled. "I'll beat him this time!" America was just about to start a new game when there was a knock at the door. England told Latvia to go upstairs and lock the door to America's room. The knocking turned into pounding and before Latvia could even reach the stairs, the door had been busted open.

America, England, and Latvia stared in shock as a tall figure entered the home. "Just like you did to my door, da?" That voice. America knew that damn voice by heart.

"Goddamit! You commie bastard!" America shouted in furry, "You owe me a new Goddamn fucking door! Now get the fuck out of my house!" The nation charged at Russia only to be thrown back against a couch.

"Alfred!" England called rushing to America's side. America jumped right back up and brushed England off of him. He nodded an appology, but had no time to be tended to.

"I've come for my Baltics," Russia said, "All of them now. You stole one from me, da? Ah! There's little Latvi! Come here, Latvi." Russia began slowly walking over to Latvia who was cowering at the foot of the stairs. He didn't know if he should run upstairs or stay there.

"Latvia! Run!" England called. Latvia didn't have to be told twice. He began running towards England and America. He was just ducking under Russia and had almost made it when the massive nation grabbed him by the hair.

"You won't try to run away, now will you Latvi?" Russia asked in an all too happy voice. Latvia began to sob and cry while flailing in the large nation's grasp.

"Latvia!" America jumped up and rammed himself into Russia. The force was enough to release his grip on the boy who ran right into the comfort of England's arms. The Brit held the boy tightly and stepped back watching the fight unfold.

America had forced both him and Russia to the ground. He jumped back up and pulled back his hand. He pinned Russia down with his other hand and punched the nation as hard as he could. "Get the fucking hell out of my house," America whispered low and dangerous.

"I will once I get my Baltics back, da?" Russia replied in a cheerful voice although the words dripped with danger. He pulled himself up and towered over America. He brought his pipe back and swung it at the shorter nation. America blocked it with his arm. It hurt like hell, but if that blow had gone to the head, it would have ended badly.

"Stop!" A voice called. Everything stopped at that instant just as the voice commanded. The fighting stopped, all breathing ceased, even the clock seemed to obay the command. All eyes were on Lithuania who was at the bottom of the stairs in his night clothes. He looked fine on the outside, but on the inside he felt horrible. Estonia stomped down the stairs and held grabbed Lithuania who had started to sway from dizziness. He looked up at those in the living room and gasped. Russia just kept smiling.

"There they are!" Russia cooed, "Come with me, da?"

"No!" Lithuania said anger bursting inside of him. "Leave America alone. Leave England and Latvia and Estonia alone. If you want someone so badly, take me. I can handle any shit you throw at me."

"You're saying you'll come with me freely if I let the others be, da?" Russia asked.

Lithuania nodded. "I'll go with you right now. Right back to Russia," he told him, "I'll be your servant and never rebel. Just leave Estonia and Latvia alone."

"Shut up, Liet!" America shouted. Lithuania blinked. Those were the harshest words America had ever spoken to him. "Stop trying to be the hero," America continued, "Estonia and Latvia aren't going back to Russia. And neither are you. Besides; I'm. The. Fucking. Hero. And _no one _takes that away from me." He jumped up and slammed his fist into Russia's face again. Russia realed back and hit America square over the head with his pipe. America blinked but ignored the pain.

They struggled for a bit before America finally had Russia pinned down. Finally, Russia's usually cheerful face turned sour. He knew he was loosing. "Get out now," America said dangerously for the final time. He cautiously let Russia up, but didn't let go of him. He pushed Russia to the door and slammed it in his face. He turned around and shot a winning smile at the group.

England released his grip on Latvia and walked over to America. The younger nation clutched his head and fell forward onto England. England gasped and guided America down to the floor. The younger opened his eyes almost imdiatly much to the Brit's relief.

"Hey," America smiled up at England.

"Hey," England smield back. A wave of emotions overtook him and he couldn't control himself. He bent over and kissed America passionatly. The younger nation was surprised, but returned the kiss. When they broke apart they were both a bright shade of red.

Lithuania sat down heavily on the steps. Estonia flew down next to him and held him close. "You would really give yourself up, just like that?" he asked.

Lithuania turned to his friend and smiled. "Of course I would," he said, "I'd do anything for you."

"I love you," Estonia said dispite himself. He clasped his hand over his mouth and blushed. "As... Well, you know."

Lithuania laughed and pecked him on the cheek. "I love you too," he said, "I'd do anything for you." Lithuania snuggled closer to Estonia and rested his head on his firm shoulder. He didn't fall asleep, though, as he wanted to enjoy the moment.

"I'll never let anything happen to you again," Estonia told him. Lithuania smiled. America looked over at the two from where he still was in England's lap. The nation shot them a smile which they returned.

"There's only one thing left to do," America said.

"We have to declair independance," Lithuania finished. Today they were runaways. In just a few short days, they would be free.

* * *

_USUK x3 Sorry, I'm such a fangirl I had to throw that in x3 Also, Estonia/Liet x3 _

_Next chapter is the last~! ): Thank you all so much for sticking by~! Next chapter should be out tomorrow when I get home from school :)_

_Please review~! I'd love to hear your thoughts :D_


	10. Freedom

_Last chapter, guys. Thanks for sticking by even after FanFiction screwed up chapters 8 and 9 -_-_

_Anyway, this is a rather short chapter, but I hope it serves as a nice epilogue for you! So, enjoy!_

* * *

The countries we able to recover from their injuries. Lithuania's wounds healed and scars formed. They would probably never go away. Latvia fully recovered from his concussion and America's head injury healed up. All that was left was the World Meeting in Italy.

The days flew by and soon, the five found themselves on a nonstop flight to Italy. The World Meeting was to be held in Rome that month. They were all excited, but nervousness also filled the air. This was it: the day that the Baltics would leave Russia for good. And there was nothing Russia could do about it. They had tried to declare Independence before and,while the other countries accepted it, they always found themselves back in Russia. But today was different. They were going to leave for good this time.

All the papers were filed, all the evidance collected. They were ready. And there really wasn't anything Russia could do about it. Russia was in a corner at the moment. The proud scars displayed on both America and the Baltics would prove to be the most deciding evidence. America had told the other countries prior to the meeting what had happened. Most were on his side.

"I believe that the Baltics should have full Independence," America was saying, "Something they have yet to experience. We all accept that they are free countries, but they always end up under Russia's rule. They have yet to have a chance to grow stronger as they have always been stifled by Russia. Now, they deserve to be free." He sat down and examined the room around him. Most countries nodded their head in agreement.

"I would like to say something also," England said as he stood up. He surveyed the room and continued when no one tried to stop him. "I know that at these World Meetings, we are countries and not people. And we need to do what is right for us the country and not us the person, correct? But isn't child abuse illegal in most countries? Look at what Russia did to Latvia! Latvia might be a country, but he is also a child. We need to think morally on this. We wouldn't let one of our people's child be assaulted like this. Why should it be any different for a country?" England nodded a 'thanks' and sat down.

The group certainly had a winning argument. All the Baltics stood up and discussed what happened at Russia's house and why they escaped. Many of the countries were shocked and appalled by the events. Even America and England who had heard the stories many times couldn't help but cringe. It was just too horrible.

Finally, the testaments ended and Germany stood up. His usually gruff appearance changed. He now seemed saddened and his face looked at the Baltics with pity. "I believe that we should move to make Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania free and independant countries," he stated, "And that is something at _all_ the countries have to accept. There shouldn't be a choice."

There was a vote. Only on country silently voted against it and that was Russia to no ones surprise. Germany signed the documents and passed copies to all the countries. Russia reluctantly signed it. He didn't have a choice anymore. He was being forced to sign it.

The meeting eventually came to an end. For once, something had been accomplished. But maybe, that should have been accomplished a long time ago. It didn't mater now. All that mattered was that the Baltics were now free.

America, England, and the Baltics returned to America's house for a week. Now it was truly a vacation. America showed them all the sights of New York such as the Statue of Liberty and Central Park. Latvia enjoyed the zoo most of all while Estonia and Lithuania enjoyed the two people carriages. They seemed to be growing even closer. Their past together would never change, but they could choose their own future.

Finally, the vacation came to an end. All the nations were flying back to their respective countries. England's flight left first. The Brit waved goodbye, but America tackled hugged him and pulled the surprised nation into a huge kiss. Blushing, England shoved him away but instantly felt guilty. So he reached up and placed a peck on America's cheek telling him he'd come visit very soon.

Latvia's flight left next. He cried a little but the other two hugged and kissed him until he stopped,promising to visit. They meant it. They planned to all get together every weekend. Latvia left and it was just Estonia and Lithuania.

"I'll miss you," Lithuania frowned.

"I'll miss you too," Estonia agreed, "But I'll see you next weekend." Lithuania smiled at this.

"You need to help me pick out a house," Lithuania said, "I've lived in Russia so long, I don't even have a house of my own in my own country anymore." He blushed and looked down at the ground. "And I... Want to get something that you would like also."

Estonia smiled at this. "Of course I'll help," he smiled, "I'll be sure to get you the best house at the best price! Something that we'll both like. But you have to help me pick out a house also."

Lithuania smiled. "Flight 383 to Lithuania boarding at gate B-4 and Flight 263 to Estonia boarding at gate B-6," a woman's voice announced over the loudspeaker. Estonia gave a sad smile to Lithuania.

"Good bye, Toris," Estonia said.

"Good bye, Eduard," Lithuania returned, "I... Love you."

Estonia blushed. He brushed a strand of hair away from Lithuania's face. An ugly scar marred his face where a bloody gash once was. But Estonia kissed it. He kissed all the scars on Lithuania's face. He then worked his way up the country's arms kissing all the discolored scars, cuts and bruises. Finally he came back to Lithuania's face and looked right into the tear-filled green eyes. He pressed his lips against his. Lithuania returned the kiss. They broke apart and squeezed in one last hug.

The two waved goodbye and boarded their respective flights. They left America after many weeks of pain and suffering. But now, they were returning to their home countries not Russia. And they were returning as free countries, not slaves.

The scars would always remain, but that was fine with them. They wanted to proudly display their scars. To spread love, hope, and inspiration to the world. But also, they never wanted to forget. They wouldn't; they couldn't. The journey was etched into their very being; right into their soul.

Now, they are forever free. They learned many things after this ordeal. Latvia learned what true compassion felt like. America learned how to be a true hero. England learned just how much he cared for children. And Lithuania and Estonia? They found love. They found love in compassion and good deeds. But most importantly, they found love in themselves. And that, my friends, is the best kind of love.

The End

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_And that's all folks~! I can't thank you guys enough for reading this! I hope it was to your liking. I'm not seeing a sequel in the future, but you never know. For now, though, I do plan on starting a Prussia/Canada fic. It will be a while, though. School and stuff..._

_Anyway, I hope you read my future fics! Thanks so much for all of your kind words! I love you all x3_


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